Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT 2012.
A tear trickled Donatello's cheek and he furiously wiped it away with the back of his arm, wincing when the burn on his right shoulder screamed at him. Splinter gazed at him sadly from his place on the couch. The others were as good as shocked.
"W-What?" Raphael stuttered, leaning on the headrest of the couch. "B-But…how?"
Donatello just stared blankly at the floor.
"We're getting there."
…
I fell on my rump in front of the mound. It was definitely a grave.
My father's grave.
"Here lies Hamato Yoshi. A friend. A teacher. A father," I read the inscriptions on the tombstone out loud. "March 25, 2014."
Just…a little near two years after I left?
Tears were cascading down my face like waterfalls. Even with all of that time I spent learning from my inopportune visits to time periods and other dimensions…even with all the knowledge and experience I've acquired…I still couldn't prevent my family from falling apart…I didn't do anything to keep my brothers from fighting each other…or save my father from the hands of Death…nor were I there in his final moments alive…
He died without seeing me for the last time.
Through my sobs, I heard the rustling of leaves behind me and I knew it was April who came and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"H-How, April?" I managed to spit out. "H-How…did he…?"
"It was Shredder, Donnie," she answered, a trace of anger in her words. "He raided the lair some twenty-eight years back, along with hundreds of Foot ninja. They trashed your home, blinded Raph's left eye and crippled Leo's right leg for good. Splinter forced your brothers out of the sewers. When we came back two weeks later, we found him…mangled and…ripped and…God, it was horrible. We buried him here, back when this great willow was a little taller than Mikey. Five years after that, Leo and Raph split up and Mikey came to live with me in my aunt's apartment."
I had tuned her out after she said the first sentence. So it was that teme's doing. The sorrow inside me gave way for red-hot anger to blaze and fog my mind. Regaining control of myself, I inhaled and exhaled, suppressing the wild flame into a tame spark. For now.
"April, how did Shredder – "
"When you were gone, Donnie, everything just…fell apart. You were the one who provided us with your gadgets and electronics and repaired them when they refused to work. You kept things in check with the underground security system you had spread all throughout the sewers and even in certain places above ground. When any of us got injured or sick, you took the role as the resident medic and healed us back to perfect health. You were also the peacekeeper and the voice of reason whenever an argument broke out in the family. Without you, life had been tough for all of us. When Shredder sent his Foot to attack us or when it was our turn to strike back, it would take us several months afterwards before we could fully recover. That's why when Shredder assaulted the lair, we were defeated effortlessly and Splinter was taken from us. Next thing we knew, he had New York and the entire world under his control and joined forces with the Kraang."
As I listened to her, the tame spark in me burned brighter and fiercer with the resentment and guilt that gnawed away at my very core. What I tried so hard to fix…I only made it turn for the worst with my thirty-year-long absence. As I sat there, cross-legged, I felt my hands clench into tight fists.
"With Leo and Raph away, I knew I had to take action," my friend continued, "so Mikey and I formed a coalition with all of the people who managed to escape Shredder's slavery. An 'Anti-Shredder Faction' or ASF, as Mikey called it. He and I have been leading it for seventeen years now and we've managed to hold our own against Ol' Tin Skin fairly well. We – "
She was cut off by some kind of beeping. Her hand left its perch on my shoulder and I turned to her to see her bring out a walkie-talkie from the inside of the ash gray jacket she wore over a dirty yellow blouse and ragged cargo pants. She then spun away from me and began talking to the person on the other end of the line in a hushed tone. Thanks to my acute sense of hearing, I was able to eavesdrop on her conversation.
"What is it, Rodriguez?"
"Ma'am, we've been ambushed by the Foot! Sir Michelangelo led most of them away from here and we're currently dealing with just a handful of them."
"Do you know where he's headed?"
"I'm afraid not, Ma'am. But last I saw him, he was dashing towards District 13. There were just too many of those bastards and they're hot on his trail."
"Near Times Square, huh? Rodriguez, you and your men stay where you are. I'll be there with the medical team and some back-up in fifteen minutes. And as for your commanding officer…"
I had heard enough to know that Mikey was in serious trouble. I got up, bowed to my father's grave and silently ran off to the place April and that Rodriguez guy talked of. In need of more speed, I pulled out my skateboard from my duffel bag, hopped on it and rolled off, hoping that I'd get there in time.
/
Kami, New York was so barren. Apartments had crumbled down and though the skyscrapers still stand, they looked like they would topple over any second now. The streets were littered with more rubbish and even dead bodies and I had to force myself from purging the contents of my stomach. There was no sign of life except for the crows feasting on the corpses. The city looked like it had been through an apocalypse.
Wait, rephrase that for me, would you?
A bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the city, startling the winged carrion-eaters away from their meal. What made it worse was that I knew that scream all too well. Alarmed, I pushed my skateboard forward harder and as I rounded the corner, I froze over.
Meters away from me, my little brother lay in a pool of HIS BLOOD, his left arm torn off and discarded to Kami-knows-where. He was panting and was surrounded by numerous Foot ninja who were armed to the teeth with technology I have only seen in other dimensions and brief trips into future periods. Thinking fast, I abandoned my skateboard, ran towards them and threw a helpful amount of smoke bombs at the pavement they stood on, effectively robbing them of their sight temporarily. Mutely, I came to my injured sibling on the ground.
"Mikey," I whispered hoarsely, lifting his head up a tad. "Goddamit, Mikey! Wake up!"
My orange-masked brother turned his head to me slowly and his glassy, baby blue eyes lighting up a bit when he saw me.
"D-Donnie? I-Is that you?" He asked me, blood dripping from his mouth and adding to the pool. "Am I…in Heaven already?"
I cringed at what he said and looked at the damage his body sustained, only to nearly throw up. There was a lengthy, horizontal cut on his abdomen and from it, oozed his pinkish intestines, glistening with its mucus under the moonlight. His skin was deathly pale from the blood loss and it hit me hard when I knew that I could do nothing to save him.
"Donnie…" I heard his faint murmur.
With tears in my eyes, I turned back to him, my heart disintegrating into a million pieces when I saw his familiar smile.
"G-Glad to see ya a-again, bro… I-I knew you'd c-come back…"
And just like that, the cheery flame in his eyes was extinguished and his entire body was motionless. New tears had begun to flow now and I let my inner fire consume my soul. The smoke had cleared and the Foot were aiming their guns and raising their blades at me.
"Another turtle? I thought there were only three of them left!" One of them stated.
"Turtle or no turtle, that FREAK is Lord Shredder's enemy," another, perhaps their leader, snapped. "Alright, FREAK! Step away from your fellow mutant's carcass and we'll take you to Lord Shredder!"
I saw the reflection in the red puddle I knelt on. I didn't want to believe it was my reflection for staring back at me was a demon, an unholy fire in his eyes and a crazed grin on his face. I stood up as my shoulders began to shake and I laughed a laugh so frigid and hollow. A single thought relayed in my mind.
'You couldn't save your brother…'
Something in me cracked.
'So now, you can only do one thing…'
The beast I have restrained in me for so long broke out from its prison.
'Revenge…'
"REVENGE!"
The last thing I saw was crimson.
…
"You killed them…didn't you?" Mikey inquired solemnly.
"In the most terrible ways possible," Donatello replied with a sigh. "Pure rage and instinct took over. No more analytical thinking and logical reasoning. The Foot I slew were either decapitated, degutted, ripped into pieces, mangled, crushed – "
He stopped himself short when he noted the looks of utter horror on their faces.
"Sorry…got carried away there…" He then cleared his throat. "Back to the story…"
…
When I woke up, I found myself in what seemed to be an infirmary. I sat up from the cot I lay, only to let out a short gasp of pain. I looked down and sure enough, I saw the lower part of my scarred plastron in a good deal of bandages, the right side rather bloodstained.
"Thank goodness, you're awake!" Someone cried as I felt myself embraced.
April released her hug on me to let me breathe. However, her smile turned into a frown.
"Donnie, you're as red as a tomato! Do you have a fever or something?"
"Uh…eh…no, I'm fine," I stammered, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. "April, where am I?"
"You're in ASF's Medical Wing. We saw you passed out in the middle of a circle of dead Foot ninja in District 13. They were all killed savagely and there was blood everywhere. Donnie, don't you dare run off like that ever again!"
"Yeah, I promise. And…what about…Mikey?"
She looked away from me, biting her lower lip.
"I had him…buried next to Splinter."
"Oh."
We spent a few minutes like that in silence, with the exception of the humming of some medical equipment down the hall. I could tell that April was doing her best not to break down right in front of me, rubbing her eyes every now and then.
"You know, Leo and Raph are here. I've called them over," she finally said, turning back to me. "You wanna see them?"
With a smile, I nodded. She got off my cot and gently helped me out. She handed me my bo and Mikey's nunchaku.
"You were holding on to them when we found you," she simply stated.
Sadly, I placed my bo on the holster on my back and tucked the nunchaku in my belt, careful not to nudge my wound. Then, I followed April out of the Medical Wing and into a vast, airplane hangar-like area. I gawked at the base's massiveness and at all of the computers and electronics that various people attended to. I heard a chuckle next to me.
"Come on, genius," April giggled, "I'll show you around later."
I was still in a daze so she had to lead me by my arm. What snapped me out my trance was the shouting that got louder and louder as we moved forward.
"Oh no," the woman gasped, frowning. "They're at it again."
"What? Who, Ape?"
The shouts were understandable now and I knew I didn't need an answer to know just who their sources were.
"Raph, you don't just waltz into Foot territory! You can't handle them all by yourself! HEY! LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!"
"OH, WHY DON'T YOU JUST FUCK OFF, LEO?"
"HOW DARE YOU, YOU BASTARD!"
In the place of relief and joy, I felt anger and frustration. Growling, I yanked my arm away from April and headed towards where THEY were. I pushed through the double doors and came to a halt.
My two elder brothers stood before me, their appearances had changed. Raph no longer wore his bandanna mask and instead sported an eyepatch over his left eye socket and a black leather jacket. Leo still had his bandanna mask on, though it was longer and quite torn, and wore a dark brown trench coat with the belts holding his katana around his waist. From where I was positioned, I could see that his right leg was supported by some kind of metal brace. Both were covered in scars from head to toe, much like I was.
And both had their weapons drawn and pointed at each other, reminding me of their fight before I left. Shell, they didn't even seem to notice me for they were yelling at one another again.
"RAPH, I'VE HAD IT WITH YOUR RASH BEHAVIOUR! YOU LEAVE ME WITH NO OTHER CHOICE!"
"WHAT'S THE MATTER, FEARLESS? YOU SCARED TO TEACH YOUR BRO A LESSON?"
"YOU'RE REALLY ASKING FOR IT!"
"YOU BET I AM! BRING IT!"
I didn't give them the chance to lunge for each other's throats, or even blink, for that matter. I came in between them, filled with rage and aggravation. With the chain of Mikey's kusarigama, I restrained Leo and pulled him down, stepping on the chain to prevent him from getting back up. Then, I brought my bo down on Raph with all my strength, making him hit the ground belly-down hard. I pinned him down with my free foot on his carapace and held my bo's hidden blade a couple inches from his face.
"YAMERU!" I roared, my blood boiling. "Thirty years! THIRTY GODDAMN YEARS HAVE PASSED AND YOU BAKA ARE STILL BITING AND RIPPING AT ONE ANOTHER LIKE MAD DOGS!"
They were glancing at me with astonished looks on their faces, but I went on.
"I thought you two would take care of the family without me around. But I was SO STUPID to not see this coming. YOU BOTH NEGLECTED YOUR HONOR AND LEFT OUR BABY BROTHER AND OUR ONLY FRIEND IN THE WORLD TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES! YOU CHOSE TO BE COWARDS AND SKIP OFF TO YOUR OWN WONDERLANDS WHILE EVERYONE ELSE SUFFERED! NOW MIKEY'S AS GOOD AS DEAD AND YOU'RE STILL ARGUING WITH EACH OTHER POINTLESSLY! YOU STILL CALL YOURSELVES 'NINJA' EVEN AFTER YOU'VE FORGOTTEN OTOUSAN'S TEACHINGS? YOU STILL THINK OF YOURSELVES AS 'BROTHERS' EVEN AFTER YOU'VE ABANDONED OUR OTOUTO? WELL, FUCK YOU! FUCK THE BOTH OF YOU BITCHES!"
My outrage left me panting for air. My knees buckled over and I slumped to the floor, dropping my weapons as I began to cry again. I felt warm arms around me and through my tears, I saw April embracing me and holding me like she'd never let me go. Leo and Raph were on their feet now, free, unarmed and keeping their distances away from me. They should be. I would've lashed out at them if they were any closer.
"Hush now, Donnie," April cooed, rubbing my shell in a slow, circular motion, "your brothers aren't fighting anymore – "
"I don't have brothers who leave their family for dead."
The atmosphere in the room became tensed when I spat those words out with much venom. April went on stroking my shell as I glared at Raphael and Leonardo acidly, snarling.
"How touching. Am I interrupting a reunion of some sorts?"
That voice! Snarl now a growl, I turned to the gigantic computer behind me, its wide screen bearing the face of my sworn enemy.
"Ah, so the Prodigal Son has indeed returned," Shredder remarked, amusement crystal clear in his voice. "It is nice to see you again, Donatello. Or should I say Midoriyasha."
A/N
WOOT WOOT! You go teach Leo and Raph a lesson, Don-san! XDD X3X
Japanese Vocab Corner
"Yameru!" – "Stop it!", but can also mean "Quit it!" or just plain "Cut it out!".
Otouto – Little brother (Oh, Mikey! D,: DDX *sniffs*).
"Midoriyasha" – Translates into "Green Demon" (Badass!).
I never ever pictured the flashback to be this LONG! O.O